The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a new exhibit, “America’s Folk Art,” which opened Saturday.
“Abby Aldrich Rockefeller was a visionary collector, recognizing the merits of everything from contemporary art to traditional folk art as early as the 1920s,” said Ronald L. Hurst, Colonial Williamsburg’s Carlisle H. Humelsine chief curator and vice president for collections, conservation and museums, in a news release.
The exhibit features roughly 50 works on display, including paintings, furniture, sculpture and more by amateur and professional artists. The collection spans the 1700s through today, with artifacts hailing from as far as Oregon.
“From its inception, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller collection represented some of the finest examples of American folk art,” said Laura Pass Barry, the Juli Granger curator of paintings, drawings and sculpture, in a news release. “This exhibition celebrates our founder’s vision and the sustained growth of the museum collection over the past six decades through a visually rich and dynamic display of material.”
In an effort to recognize Rockefeller, a section of the exhibit showcases some of her original pieces accompanied by a video tribute. “America’s Folk Art” will remain through December 2019.
Birkenmeyer can be reached by phone at 757-790-3029.
Want to go?
The museum is part of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. Admission is $12.99 for adults, $9.49 for kids 6-12 and free for those under 6.
